A Brief History of the Breed The Basset Hound is a long, low, scenting hound of French ancestry. His many admirers consider him to be among the most beautiful and unusual of all hounds, his dignified look owing in great part to a large, majestic head adorned with long, velvety ears, a wrinkled brow and dark, soulful eyes. The Basset Hound remains one of the most easily recognizable of all dog breeds. THE Basset Français, or the Basset Hound, as he is known to us, is undoubtedly one of the oldest breeds of dogs, and has existed in France in exactly the same type that he does today for many centuries. The French, however, have kept no systematic records of sports and sporting dogs, and it is only within the last few years, since the English have taken up the breed, that the history of the Basset Hound has been collected and written. They were down to the seventeenth century known in France as Chiens d'Artois, but since then this name has been transferred to and used only to designate the large Picardy Hounds, and the breed under discussion has been given the name of Basset. The Basset Français and the Basset Allemand, or, as he is better known, the Dachshund, had undoubtedly a common origin; but the Basset Hound of today has maintained all the characteristics of a true Hound, whereas the Dachshund has some of the attributes of a Terrier. The statement in the Basset Hound Standard for the FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONALE (FCI) states: The Basset was reputedly bred by monks in France in the Middle Ages to hunt in heavy cover and is able to hold its nose close to the ground. Though closely related to the entire family of French Bassets the breed was developed to perfection in Britain. He is a dog capable of hunting his natural prey, the hare, persistently at a relatively slow pace over prodigious distances. Page 1! Bassets originated in sixth-century France, a country known for its many strains of hounds. Most strains had a tall version as well as a short-legged size under sixteen inches, which were called “basset” (bas in French means low-set). Both the Basset Hound and its long-legged cousin, the Bloodhound, are thought to be descendants of the famed St. Hubert hounds. St. Hubert, a churchman, was the patron saint of the hunt, who set out to develop a new strain of hound, which looked similar to today’s Bloodhound. Many authorities feel the Basset was a result of a mutation in the St. Hubert strain. This genetic deviation produced a short-legged, dwarfed hound, whose slower movement and low-set form was to prove useful for hunters on foot in search of small game. With his long ears helping to stir up the scent, packs of Bassets were used to drive small prey, such as rabbit and hare, from dense undercover into open terrain where hunters could move in for the kill with spears (shown below), nets or clubs. The sport of pack hunting with Basset Hounds continues to this day in France and England. There are many references to short legged hounds through out Europe as early as the 1500s. It is believed that these hounds were descendants of hounds developed by St. Hubert. In Turbeville's Art of Venerie (1576) "St. Huberts are described as being mighty of body, legs low and short, not swift, but good on scent." Over the pursuing years the St. Hubert evolved in several regions in France. They were used for different quarry based on the region they were in. In 1585 the first mention of "basset" or "low" appears in Jacques de Fouilloux's Venerie describing a hound used to hunt badger. He specifically notes a crooked legged smooth coat hound that works best in undergrowth. As forms of hunting changes to include shooting these Page 2! hounds spread in popularity through France, where hunting and hound breeding was taken seriously by the ruling classes. They were also found in other parts of Europe. Unfortunately the French Revolution from 1789 until 1799 put an abrupt end to the ruling classes and also their kennels. Many strains became extinct including the St Hubert. The engraving at right depicts two different basset breeds during the French Revolution. They survived the war. Bassets from Buffon's book on natural history 1797 Page 3! The engraving at left is one of the best illustrations of a basset in France after the French Revolution. A Basset engraving from Oeuvres Completes De Buffon published in France 1830 - 1832 The Basset was not familiarly known to British sportsmen before 1863, in which year specimens of the breed were seen at the first exhibition of dogs held in Paris, and caused general curiosity and admiration among English. The two popular Basset breeders at this time were M. Lane and the Count Le Couteulx. The basset pictures here were shown by Monsieur Pierre Pichot in 1863. He Bassets shown by Pierre Pichot in 1863 was a colleague of Count Le Couteulx. In France, however, this hound has been used for generations, much as we use our Spaniel, as a finder of game in covert, and it has long been a popular sporting dog in Russia and Germany. In early times it was chiefly to be found in Artois and Flanders, where it is supposed to have had its origin; but the home of the better type of Basset is now chiefly in La Vendee, in which department some remarkably fine strains have been produced. Page 4! 1866 was a very important year for Basset Hounds as a specific breed as we know them today. The Basset as we know it today arrived officially in Great Britain in 1866. Lord Galway of Serlby imported two examples, Basset and Belle, from the well respected kennels of Count le Coult de Canteleu, a famous French hound enthusiast. In a letter to Major C. Heseltine (of later Walhampton Bassets Pack fame) the first mention of Basset Hound as the name for the breed appeared in British literature. That year was also considered to be the first introduction of Basset Hounds and their continued breeding on a scientific basis began. In Lord Galway's letter to Heseltine he stated, "In July 1866, I was staying at Royal, Puy de Dome, France where I met the Marquis de Tournon and his son, the Comte de Tournon. The latter promised me a pair of Basset Hounds from his pack, which duly arrived in the automn at Serlby. They were a dog and bitch and I called them "Basset" and "Belle". They were long, low hounds shaped much like a Dachshund, with crooked forelegs at the knees and with much more bone and longer heads than beagles. They were not the dark tan colour of Dachshunds but the colour of Foxhounds with a certain amount of white about them. They had deep heavy tongues more like Foxhounds than beagles.” Page 5! The Basset Hounds imported to England by Lord Galway's may have looked like those in this illustration done by Gayot in 1867. Unfortunately there are no illustrations of Loard Galway's Basset Hounds and records of breedings in those days were not documented like they are today. Two Bassets and a Briquette-sized Also adding to the confusion of the wire hound from Le chien; historie period it was a common practice for naturelle, races d'utilite et d'ageement several dogs to have the same name. by Eugene Gaylot in 1867 According to the Basset Hound Club (UK) the Basset as we know it today arrived officially in Great Britain in 1866. Basset and Belle were imported from the well-respected kennels of Count le Coulteux de Canteleu, a famous French hound enthusiast. Their new owner, Lord Galway, described them: They were long, low hounds, shaped much like a Dachshund, with crooked forelegs at the knees and with much more bone and longer heads than on Beagles. They were not the dark tan colour of Dachshunds but the colour of Foxhounds with a certain amount of white about them. Lord Galway's letter to Major C. Henseltine (who's later packs of basset hounds are shown above) that year is the first occurrence of the name "basset hound" in British literature and the first time it was applied to a specific breed . This is considered by many to be the first introduction of pure-bred basset hounds to England and their continued breeding on a scientific basis began. As stated in the FCI Standaed for Basset Hounds, " The Basset was reputedly bred by monks in France in the Middle Ages to hunt in heavy cover and is able to hold its nose close to the ground. Though closely related to the entire family of French Bassets the breed was developed to perfection in Britain.” Page 6! Basset Hounds in the Show Ring Dogs and All About Them published in 1934 States: As with most imported breeds, the Basset-hound when first exhibited was required to undergo a probationary period as a foreign dog in the variety class at the principal shows. It was not until 1880 that a class was provided for it by the Kennel Club. In 1876 the first Basset Hound type dog to be shown was in a British show was "Model" (right) owned by Sir Everett Millais. Millais imported "Model" from France in 1874. Lord Onslow’s Finette was bred to Model. In 1880 Millais coordinated a large Basset Hound entry for the Wolverhampton dog show which brought about public attention to the Mr.